by Seth Cohen and Shoshana Boyd Gelfand "Our goal should be to live life in radical amazement. .... get up in the morning and look at the world in a way that takes nothing for granted. Everything is phenomenal; everything is incredible; never treat life casually. Abraham Joshua Heschel On a recent Shabbat evening in Uppsala, Sweden, a group of over fifty Jewish young adults from across Europe gathered together to welcome Shabbat. A discussion ensued in the spirit of Heschel’s conception of radial amazement and how it might apply to them individually or as a group. As the discussion circled the room, one particular Romanian woman who had been quiet during much of the past two days spoke up. She looked around the room, at the faces of young, laughing and dreaming Jewish Europeans from London to … [Read more...]
Energy and Possibility: Empowering the Future of Jewish Life in Europe
Renewing the Jewish Communities of Europe through European Eyes
by Clive A Lawton I was a little surprised to read Ariel Beery’s response to The Summer of Change and the JPropel programme that he attended in Uppsala Sweden recently. I was there too briefly and have attended other such events in the past. My abiding feeling on leaving them is a sense of buoyant optimism. So many young enthusiasts from so many walks of Jewish life! In contrast, Ariel’s article seemed to suggest that he felt disheartened at the impression he received of an old guard hanging on with dead man’s grip on the resources of the communities of Europe, while the younger generation became increasingly frustrated with the blocking of their creativity and initiatives so that they would eventually give up and leave. So why might our responses be so different? I suggest it’s … [Read more...]
JPropel and Renewing the Jewish Communities of Europe
Over the past two weeks, Schusterman's @Roicommunity, Paideia and the Pears Foundation's JHub have run a series of activities in the classic Swedish university town of Uppsala under the banner of the Summer of Change. @aharonhorwitz and I were privileged to represent PresenTense there as 'staff,' Aharon as part of the incubator, and both of us together at JPropel teaching a few workshops over the course of a few days, from our PTSchool series, and leading a text-based learning on business model development for social enterprise. It was a fun affair. For a little under a week, approximately 50 individuals, the majority from the various countries of Europe, hung out, ate, drank and took boat rides whose main outcome was the bonding of young activist Jews across the world, and an understanding that … [Read more...]
European Social Innovators Connect to Create New Expressions of Jewish Life
Jerusalem, August 3, 2011: As Europe faces an acute identity crisis, 48 social justice activists, artists, environmentalists, media and tech gurus, educators, Israel advocates and intercultural dialoguers will gather for four days at JPropel in Sweden to address the challenges confronting the European Jewish renaissance and to enhance the role of up- and-coming Jewish leaders in shaping a Europe that embraces respect for all religions and cultures. JPropel is a joint initiative of JHub, Paideia and ROI Community to propel forward a new generation of European Jewish leaders. “In the shadow of the horrific massacre in Norway, JPropel shines a light on European Jewish initiatives which combat racism by reviving the spirit and culture of its victims,” said ROI Community Executive Director Justin … [Read more...]
Introducing the 2011 Summer of Change
The past decade has seen a remarkable growth and revitalization of Jewish life across Europe. New initiatives are emerging in countries all over the continent, and people are connecting and reconnecting to Jewish life - culturally and spiritually. Social entrepreneurs are creating new realities, focusing on education, arts & culture and community building, and introducing new ways of expressing Judaism, ways that are inclusive, open and accessible, reaching people who were previously unaffiliated to the established communities. Paideia, ROI Community and JHub have played an integral part in these important developments and work together towards a shared vision of a vital and vibrant Jewish culture in Europe. The time has now come to reflect, celebrate and to continue building: reflect on the … [Read more...]
The Generation Gap
by Manny Waks In the article, Give Us the Tools to Define Our Involvement, Joshua Einstein cogently articulates the major challenges and obstacles inherent in the global predicament of Jewish continuity. The term “continuity” is ubiquitous in contemporary Jewish community discourse. Broadly, it defines the continuity of “Jewishness”, both as our collective identity and as a values framework. In his article, Mr Einstein rightly criticises the existing structures of the mainstream Jewish community. He states, “Rather than focusing on giving the younger generations the tools to define their involvement and their identity - empowerment and enfranchisement - the vast majority of the organized effort has been geared toward retention and replacement.” Mr Einstein refers to not only the … [Read more...]
